Italian restaurants in Lucerne: 4 top addresses
Visit excellent Italian restaurants in Lucerne and benefit from the dining credit.
"Mamma Leone": Italian cuisine at its best every day
Mamma Leone is one of the most established Italian restaurants in Lucerne. The GaultMillau awarded 14 points in 2025, attesting to the restaurant's excellent cuisine, which offers more than just everyday fare. The restaurant guide also emphasized the special care with which the kitchen crew works.
The menu includes Italian classics such as pizzas in both standard and more exquisite versions. However, guests appreciate the restaurant above all for its more daring creations such as the paccheri with scallops and vongole or the saffron risotto with burrata, black garlic cream and sprouts.
The signature dish is the ossobuco, a butter-tender, braised veal shank. And the starter variation "Composizione Mamma Leone" is also a "hit" according to the menu. Inexpensive lunch menus round off the restaurant's offer, which is open daily. The surroundings on the car-free Mühlenplatz in Lucerne are also very inviting.
"La Cucina": a culinary journey through Italy
La Cucina" is located in the Hotel Astoria and spoils its guests with antipasti, pasta, pizza and fish and meat specialties of the highest quality. Nevertheless, the ristorante always retains its cozy atmosphere and is never stiff - the Italian staff are far too lively for that.
The homemade, wafer-thin ravioli are skillfully prepared in the open kitchen and are an excellent accompaniment to the other classics of Italian cuisine on the menu. In the elegant ambience of the restaurant, a good selection of exquisite Italian wines will accompany you throughout the evening.
The GaultMillau testers also liked "La Cucina": They awarded it 14 points.
Interesting fact: As an American Express Platinum Card holder, you can make your reservation at "La Cucina" using the online reservation tool on the website - or simply via Platinum Travel & Lifestyle Service.
"Tiglio": lots of pasta and two main courses
The former "Valentino" restaurant became "Tiglio" in 2024, delighting Lucerne's gourmets. The Osteria's clearly laid out menu stands for fresh ingredients and a focus on the dishes on offer. These can be categorized as traditional Italian cuisine, which sometimes comes up with surprising ingredients.
Pasta in different variations is at the heart of this excellent Italian restaurant in Lucerne, with a choice of a handful of starters. The piatti di stagioni includes a meat dish and a fish dish.
A few desserts round off the menu. The menu changes according to the season. The atmosphere is informal and welcoming, the location in the Metzgerrainle in the middle of the old town is outstanding. Open-air service is also available in summer.
"Ristorante Barbatti": a Lucerne institution
The traditional restaurant "Barbatti" right in the center of Lucerne was taken over by the restaurant company Bindella in 2013 - which maintained the quality of the Italian cuisine. GaultMillau 2025 was just as impressed by the popular classics as the regular clientele and awarded 13 points.
The restaurant's specialty is the carré di agnello al forno, a rack of lamb that is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The restaurant is also famous for its Prosciutto di Parma Cavazzuti, matured for 22 months and often served with a giant ball of mozzarella di bufala. There is also plenty of seafood and various Venetian classics.
Works by Lucerne sculptor Rolf Brem, to whom the restaurant is dedicated, hang in the dining room. Outside, a bar invites you to enjoy an aperitif or digestif.
Interesting fact: When the temperatures are right, you can also dine on the summer terrace and indulge in the numerous exquisite wines on the menu.
Where you can feel like you're in Italy in Lucerne
Even though German is spoken predominantly in Lucerne, the Italian restaurants in Lucerne and their culinary skills have long since conquered the city. The restaurants offer authentic cuisine from the neighboring country at its finest, without appearing artificial. Instead, the emphasis is on a cozy atmosphere and traditional Italian food culture.
If you appreciate culinary discoveries and value privileged access, a credit card that opens doors to the best gourmet addresses is the perfect choice: The American Express Platinum Card gives you exclusive access to the world of fine dining.
With the Platinum Card, you benefit from preferential reservations in popular restaurants, take part in selected culinary events with top chefs and enjoy advantageous dining benefits in over 2,000 first-class restaurants in Switzerland, for example in Zurich.
The right credit card for your lifestyle
Frequently asked questions and answers
Lucerne has a wide selection of good restaurants, including various Italian restaurants. The best restaurants according to GaultMillau include "Mamma Leone", "Barbatti", "La Cucina" and "Tiglio".
If you pay more than CHF 250 in a Swiss GaultMillau restaurant that accepts American Express, you will automatically receive a credit of CHF 40 to your card account once a quarter, which you can redeem in the restaurants mentioned here.
If you reserve your table via the Platinum Travel & Lifestyle Service, you will receive, for example, a bottle of wine with your four-course meal or an intermediate course when you visit the restaurant.
